My Last Breath
by Sir-Mercutio-McHuffer
Summary: On the night of the Potter's murder, Severus' life was changed.  Rated M for violence/death.


**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except Alexis. She's incredibly fun. Just so you all know, this is a newly edited version of an old fic of mine from my old account here on FF. It was terribad. It still is relatively terribad, but I hope some of you like it :) It's a songfic to My Last Breath by Evanescence.

Remember - reviewing doth a happy writer make!

* * *

Alexis was running. She had to get to Hogwarts and warn everyone there. She _had_ to warn Dumbledore… she had to save Severus. They were after her, the Death Eaters and their forbidden curses. Damn them and their Lord.

Alexis had been creeping around in her not-so-inconspicuous animagus form when that damnable snake of Voldemort's had found her and set the every minion from that Death Eater convention onto her. So now she was running for her life. Her hide was torn and bloodied, tail broken, an ear lost and an eye blinded by a slicing curse. Her ribs were creaking. It was getting harder to breathe.

She stumbled and fell, crashing onto her muzzle. A curse whizzed past her head. 'I will _not_ let them down!' she thought fiercely. Her paws were back under her and she was off again! She roared, the small victory of footing sending strength to her legs.

_Hold on to me love  
__You know I can't stay long  
__All I wanted to say was I love you and I'm not afraid  
__Can you hear me?  
__Can you feel me in your arms?_

She threw herself out of the fringes of the Forbidden Forest and straight into the lake. Slimy hands grabbed her front legs and ploughed her through the water to the other side. Alexis kept her ear close to her head and strained forwards. Her breath was coming shorter. She was thrust unceremoniously onto the land.

Her lungs burned as she continued up the hill. The castle doors were closed. She threw herself at them and screamed when her ribs cracked. Alexis dropped to her paws and roared her desperation at the uncaring doors. They opened. She fell through and into the careful arms of Poppy.

"Must… Dumbledore… Voldem…" Alexis hacked and blood spilt down her chin. It was so cold without her fur to protect her. Everything hurt. The swift change from her animagus form had damaged more than she cared to admit.

_Holding my last breath  
__Safe inside myself  
__Are all my thoughts of you  
__Sweet rapture light it ends here tonight_

Poppy swore. She slid her coat off her shoulders and around the broken woman.

Severus' heels cracked against the stone floor as he came around the corner. He stopped. His jaw went slack.

"We've got to get her to Dumbledore," Poppy said, looking up at Snape.

"Quickly!" Snape growled. He pulled out his wand. "_Mobili corpus_," he hissed and Alexis rose. Poppy stumbled to her feet, trying to wrap the cloak around Alexis before they were off. Poppy had to run to keep up with Severus and the floating Alexis.

"Death Eaters… going to kill… attack P…p..." Alexis grated out, her one working eye seeking Severus' form out.

"Shut up and hold on!" Severus barked, breaking into a run. Blood dribbled down her chin and onto the floor. She shut her eye to obey the man for once in her life.

She opened her eye again and Albus was leaning over her. Poppy, dear Poppy, was pulling tiny vials out of Albus' cupboard, mixing them into a cup. Severus was cradling her. His breathing was hitched.

"V…vold… atta-aaack P-p-p-oooooootterrrrr…" she bit out. Blood gurgled from the back of her throat and down her chin. She didn't have the energy to cough it out.

"I'll have the Auroras sent," Albus said and left the room.

Alexis' chest spasmed and blood splattered the carpet and the front of Severus' robes. "I'm sorry..." she whispered. Severus leaned closer, face pinched against his fear. "I am so sorry..." She let out a gurgling sigh.

_I'll miss the winter  
__A world of fragile things  
__Look for me in the white forest  
__Hiding in a hollow tree (come find me)  
__I know you hear me  
__I can taste it in your tears_

"You'll be fine, Alexis. You'll pull through," Severus cried, his free hand brushing her hair back from her face and down her unmarred cheek.

"No… I'm sorry. I wasn't…" another spasm and more blood joined that on Severus' front. "I wasn't afrrrrraid. I'm nnnnot afrrrrrrrrraid…"

"You're going to be fine! You're going to get up tomorrow and wake me up with that sickeningly cheerful voice of yours and tear off the sheets to let me freeze! You're going to continue being my mornings kick-up-the-arse! Damintall, Alexis! Can't you do anything to help her?" Severus screamed at Poppy.

"I'm trying! Just keep her here a little longer and whatever you do _don't let her go to sleep!_" Poppy snarled back, dashing away tears as she mixed the vials.

_Holding my last breath  
__Safe inside myself  
__Are all my thoughts of you  
__Sweet rapture light it ends here tonight_

"I'm nnnnot worth.. it…"

"Don't say that!" Severus growled. "You're worth all of it, we all need you here!"

"I…I love you…" It was so quiet he had to strain to hear it. He froze. "I love you…" she whispered again, her eye drooping closed.

"And you tell me now? When you're…" Severus choked. He couldn't say it. He clutched Alexis tighter to himself, curling protectively about her as the tears ran unchecked down his face. "You _can't_ die now! You want to know my answer?" Alexis barely nodded. "Well you have to live for me to tell you."

"Tell… me…" she growled, gurgling more fluid up. She was slowly drowning out of water. "I'm not going… to last the nnnnnniiight…" Her body convulsed. "Teelllll me…"

_Closing your eyes to disappear  
__You pray your dreams will leave you here  
__But still you wake and know the truth  
__No one's there_

He leaned over her face, cupping her cheek with one hand. His tears made tracks through the grime on her cheeks. "I love you, you idiot. Now stay alive!" he hissed, kissing her lips despite the blood. When he pulled back, her body convulsed and she shot half-upright, eye wide and mouth gaping as every muscle in her body screamed tension.

"POPPY!" Severus roared. "She's... Hurry!"

"It's ready!" Alexis' body relaxed, folding into Severus', then convulsed again, a tiny squeek of pain forced out. As her body went limp, Poppy kneeled beside Severus. "She has to drink this. We can't petrify her."

It took Severus holding Alexis' head while her body convulsed, and Poppy tilting the cup against Alexis' lips to get the liquid into her mouth. Poppy rubbed Alexis' throat and she swallowed. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as her back arched.

Alexis body became limp. Severus laid her on the carpet. There were no signs of life, only the phantom image of a breath.

Severus screamed wordlessly at Albus as the old man pulled him to his feet. "Poppy," Albus said.

Poppy brushed Alexis' previously gorgeous white hair away from her face, the hair that was now grey and black and horribly red. "I'm sorry, Alex."

"Poppy," Albus repeated. The young mediwitch stood. "I need you to take Severus to his quarters – I will arrange cover for his classes." Poppy nodded and, tears still falling, wrapped her arms around Severus' chest and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He did not notice. She gently guided her friend from the Headmaster's Office.

Severus was back in Albus Dumbledore's study, staring at the space Alexis had occupied in her last moments. He had cried. He had cried his soul from himself. The promise that he would receive a sound beating if he joined Alexis too soon kept him among the living.

"So you want to spy for us," Dumbledore repeated. Severus' attention was back on Dumbledore's sympathetic face. He nodded.

"I am in a position to provide invaluable information on Lord Voldemort's actions," Severus purred. His insides still felt hollow.

"Are you doing this for her memory?" Dumbledore asked after a long pause.

"Yes."

_Say goodnight  
__Don't be afraid  
__Calling me calling me as you fade to black_


End file.
